Shadow Show
by Nanaki BH
Summary: KlonoaxThe King Of Sorrow A voice from the past beckons Klonoa back to Lunatea.


Disclaimer: The _Klonoa_ series and all related materials and characters are property of Namco and Klonoa Works.

Shadow Show  
By: Nanaki BH

How can people decide what's real and what isn't? How am I to be sure that the places I go are neither here nor there? They feel so real; the people I meet feel _so_ real. Every person I meet leaves a piece of themselves embedded in my heart and no matter where I go or what reality I've entered, they remain with me so I can be sure that they exist and that I exist, too. Sometimes I want to go back and I realize… that I can't. I can never choose where I go. I'm called when people need me and I just fade back into their dreams when they no longer require me.

A dream traveler; that's what I'm destined to remain with no reality of my own. I want to be able to control where I go and live in one place where I know the people. I just want to be somewhere where I'm not in danger. I want something familiar. I love adventure. Of course I love adventure. But even adventure can be a little scary sometimes. I want somebody to tell _me_ that I'm safe. I want somebody to protect _me._

My mind refused to be quiet. I tossed and turned in my bed. A part of me wanted to sleep; begged for the peaceful fields of sweet, sweet sleep. Another part of me, though, the more dominant side of my mind, didn't want to go to sleep at all. It was the piece of me that kept my eyes open so that I wouldn't fall back into another dream. I wanted to rest. For real. I pulled my ears over my eyes and clamped them shut, blocking out the light of the moon that filtered in through my window. I had to sleep, I knew, because if I didn't, I would only wind up hurting myself in the end because of it.

I fell asleep with tears in my eyes.

When I woke, I felt a lot better, though. The air around me was light and relaxing; a gentle breeze sweeping past me, caressing my cheeks. I took in a deep breath and held it just so I could enjoy the feeling of the crisp air in my chest. I lowered my ears from my eyes and opened them slowly, then winced when the sun threatened my eyes. The sun? Directly above me? What was I doing outside?

Instantly, I wanted to scream. I knew where I was. Lunatea. I sat up and buried my face in my gloved palms. I wanted to just shrink away. Why? Why had I been taken back? I almost didn't want to face Lolo again after the way we'd parted. She loved me and I could tell but I couldn't bring myself to return her feelings. They just weren't in me. I understood her and I loved her in the way that a brother loves his sister but I couldn't look at her through the eyes of a lover.

Love? I could feel the sliver in my heart grow into a larger crack, threatening to split down the middle. I knew it would only be so long before I couldn't bear the pain and my heart would split clean in two. I wasn't sure what love meant to me but it was there in his eyes; those big, sad eyes that shone like the evening sun. To think that in his final hours, one so full of sorrow could be so full of… love. I was sure what I had done for him was a favor; he was given the opportunity to start again, if only in the afterlife. But I was left alone, alone for the crack to deepen.

Lunatea was calling me back for a reason.

"I wouldn't say Lunatea, Dream Traveler," I heard a familiar voice say from behind me. I looked around frantically, trying to find where the voice had originated in the large field. "I believe I'm the one who called you here." Then from in front of me appeared the very person I believed I would never see again. It was inconceivable. The King? But he… But I… My mind refused to recognize his existence as true.

"You were vanquished and sent to the other side. I saw it with my own eyes. This must be somebody's terrible idea of a joke!" I shouted, curling my fists. "You can't be real!" I pushed myself up and rushed forward with my fists readied. When I struck out, he caught my fist, curiously cocking his head to side as though he was surprised I was trying to attack him.

"Is it so hard to believe I would want to see you?" he asked, his eyes soft and gentle. "If I dream for a savior, he will come. Isn't that true? Isn't that how it works? When Lunatea sensed its impending danger, it dreamt for the savior and summoned you, am I right? So why is it so hard to believe I could bring you back?"

"But I've only been taken from my world when I'm needed," I whispered to myself, unsure of what he was trying to say.

"_I_ need you, Klonoa." When he felt me begin to relax, he released my fist. It was almost like staring into the face of a memory, of a dream, like he was only something I had imagined up. But he was real and he was so close. He fell by my power and there he was before me, expressing no disdain or contempt. He looked happy. It made me feel like crying, actually. I wasn't sure why… Looking at him with such a smile on his face made me feel like I'd accomplished something. I really _hadn't_ destroyed him; I made him what he was supposed to be.

My breath caught in my throat but with the little I had left, I weakly choked out, "I need you, too." It was so liberating and I just felt so entirely relieved. Perhaps coming back to Lunatea wasn't so bad after all. Not so bad at all.

I nervously put my arms around him and he returned my embrace, hugging me to himself. "Don't disappear on me again," he whispered into my ear. "If you do, make sure you tell me where you're going, okay?" I nodded against his chest and for once felt at peace. Things in Lunatea were looking up again.

Author's Notes: I'm amazed I just wrote that. A Klonoa story? What's _wrong_ with me? I guess it was inevitable since I've played the second installment so many times. I just love the King of Sorrow so much! He was born again in the credits if you remember, so that's basically where the premise of the story came from. I hope you enjoyed reading!


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